Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra: Poison in the water is taking lives of people

Excessive flouride in the ground water has spared no one at the Rohiniya Damar village in Uttar Pradesh, 100 kilometres from Sonbhadra district’s main Robertsganj town.

The fluorosis hasn’t spared the old and young, while the old walks totally bent and steps slowly with the help of sticks, the young in the village have deformed joints and teeth that are decaying very fast.

Last year alone 22 people succumbed to contamination as claimed by the villagers, although the state government claims no records of such deaths.

According to the UP government, of Sonbhadra’s 600 villages, 250 have excessive flouride in the ground water. 150 of these have levels much above what’s permissible.

Sonbhadra has 10 power plants, and many cement and aluminum factories, and coal mines. All of them claim their waste is not contaminating the ground water further.

At the ground it seems the government intention to sort the life-threatening problem of the villagers is marred by proper execution and maintenance.